Brewing Instructions

Brewing

Tea brewing is a very personal endeavor because everyone has different preferences and one person’s steaming-hot, flavorful cup may be another person’s tepid, tasteless water. In this section, we will give our preferred brewing methods developed over many years, but feel free to deviate from these guidelines as your tastebuds see fit.

Brewing Basics

1

Start with quality water

Spring water is best. When in doubt, boil for at least 5 minutes to soften hard water or remove odors such as from chlorine.

2

Use a quality teapot

The more space leaves have to move around the inside of the pot, the more they interact with water and release their flavor.

3

Adjust leaf amount as necessary

Different teas have different densities and chemical properties. Some teas, particularly Japanese teas, require very little leaf to release a full-bodied flavor.

4

Adjust water temperature

Different teas have different nutrient profiles. Certain nutrients, such as amino acids, release at roughly the same rate regardless of temperature. Other nutrients, such as tannins and caffeine, release most quickly with near-boiling water. The same tea can brew two drastically different cups depending on water temperature used. Please see this blog post for more information.

5

Pour in small increments

Pouring in small amounts ensures that leaves do not clog the spout, allows leaves to swirl around in the water between pours, and results in a more flavorful cup. If serving multiple cups at once, pour a small amount in each cup and continue making the rounds until you have depleted the pot. This will ensure that everyone has an evenly brewed cup and the same amount of tea. Otherwise, the first person may have a large cup of thinly brewed tea, and the last person may have a couple of ounces of incredibly strong tea.

6

Pour to the last drop

Be sure all water is poured out of the teapot. The last drops of a given steeping are the most flavor rich. Also, if you plan on doing multiple steepings, this will ensure that the next steeping doesn’t begin with over-brewed, super concentrated tea at the bottom of the teapot.

Brewing Guidelines

Each tea has its own unique nutrient profile and concentration of nutrients, so steeping methods should be catered to the tea at hand. The following table* reflects our preferred brewing methods, but feel free to experiment to find your perfect cup of tea.

*Brewing instructions for each tea can also be found on the product package, as well as on that tea’s webpage in our online store

Sugimoto America’s Recommended Brewing Methods

Tea Leaves

Water Amount

Water Temp.

Steeping Time

Serving Size

Servings

Sen Cha Fukamushi

1 tbsp
(5 grams)

10 oz

175°F or below

30 – 60 sec

5 oz

2

Sen Cha Chumushi

1 tbsp
(5 grams)

10 oz

175°F or below

30 – 60 sec

5 oz

2

Sen Cha Asamushi
(USDA Organic)

1 tbsp
(5 grams)

10 oz

175°F or below

1 – 2 min

5 oz

2

Gyokuro

1 tbsp
(5 grams)

6 oz

120 – 140°F

3 – 4 min

2 oz

3

Late-Harvest Sen Cha
(Ban Cha)

1 tbsp
(5 grams)

12 oz

175°F or below

1 – 2 min

12 oz

1

Genmai Cha

1 tbsp
(5 grams)

12 oz

175°F or below

30 – 60 sec

12 oz

1

Genmai Cha
(USDA Organic)

1 tbsp
(5 grams)

12 oz

175°F or below

90 – 120 sec

12 oz

1

Genmai Cha with Matcha

≥ 1 tbsp
(3 grams)

12 oz

175°F or below

30 – 60 sec

12 oz

1

Kona Cha

≥ 1 tbsp
(3 grams)

12 oz

175°F or below

30 – 60 sec

12 oz

1

Kuki Cha

1 tbsp
(5 grams)

12 oz

175°F or below

1 – 2 min

12 oz

1

Hoji Cha

≥ 1 tbsp
(3 grams)

12 oz

175°F or below

1 – 2 min

12 oz

1

Hoji Cha
(USDA Organic)

≥ 1 tbsp
(3 grams)

12 oz

175°F or below

1 – 2 min

12 oz

1

Traditional Japanese Brewing Methods

Tea Leaves

Water Amount

Water Temp.

Steeping Time

Serving Size

Servings

Sen Cha (High Grade)

1.5 tbsp
(6 grams)

6 oz

160°F

2 min

2 oz

3

Sen Cha (Medium Grade)

2 tbsp
(10 grams)

15 oz

195°F

1 min

3 oz

5

Late-Harvest Sen Cha
(Ban Cha)

3 tbsp
(15 grams)

20 oz

212°F

30 sec

4 oz

5

Gyokuro (High Grade)

2 tbsp
(10 grams)

3 oz

120°F

2 ½ min

1 oz

3

Gyokuro (Medium Grade)

2 tbsp
(10 grams)

3 oz

140°F

2 min

1 oz

3

Hoji Cha

7 tbsp
(15 grams)

20 oz

212°F

30 sec

4 oz

5

参考：茶のいれ方研究会；茶研報

How to Brew Temomi Shin Cha

Prepare a small tea pot and 3 to 4 shot cups. Ideal size of the pot is 5 oz.

Put the whole bag (10g) of Temomi Shin Cha into the pot.

Prepare about 2.5 oz. of 100 F° (40 C°) water and pour it slowly into the pot. Make sure all leaves are soaked in the water. If leaves are not fully covered, pour extra water just enough to soak all the leaves. (Do not add too much water).

Steeping time is 2 minutes. Do not shake the pot.

After 2 minutes, check and see if the leaves are completely open. If not, please wait an extra minute.

Pour the tea bit by bit evenly into the cups until the last drop. (Note: the last drops have the most delicious and strong flavor.)

For the second and third infusion, please use hotter water (130 F°) and steep only for about a minute.